Journey to Civilization
by QuietYourMind
Summary: Ralph, Jack, and the rest of the boys are on their way back home after being rescued by the British Navy. Jack makes many new friends, while Ralph just wants to be alone. Things get chaotic when an attack on the ship starts, and the boys are forced to face many of the unresolved conflicts from the island.


"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" The boys chased him until he stumbled, falling into the scorching sand on the beach.

Ralph sat up, and blinked a few times, gasping as he processed what was happening. His pulse slowed when he realized he was still in the little room on the ship. He turned and saw a figure in the corner.

"Hello," said the mysterious adult, "How are you doing today Ralph?"

Ralph looked at the man with disdain, and started to turn towards the wall.

"We should be arriving in London in the next few days." He paused, waiting for a response, but Ralph just stared. "I'm Dr. Ewing. I'd like to talk to you about your experience on the island."

Ralph blinked a few times and glared at the doctor. The only sound was that of the clock ticking, and several minutes passed. Dr. Ewing scribbled something on his clipboard, glanced at the clock, and rose from his position on the chair. Clearing his throat, he announced, "I suppose I should go now. I'll be back tomorrow around the same time if you want to discuss the events of the past few weeks and your feelings about them."

Ralph shivered, sitting in quiet terror as the man left the room. As he stood, Ralph thought about what the dreaded therapist had said. He knew that the man had been in his quarters before, quietly observing him, but today had been their first interaction. "That wasn't awful," he mused, "I can't talk to him about that dreaded island though. What would I say? I'm sure Jack has already told his side of the story anyways. What good would it be?" With that he slid down, sobbing silently, hoping that the blanket would shield him from the terrors as he slept.

* * *

On the other end of the ship, Jack was surrounded by a group of sailors. "I, of course, led the charge for getting meat on the island." He stopped his story for a moment, shoveling a spoonful stew into his mouth. "We hunted pigs, then shared with the rest of the group."

"See why I like this little guy?" exclaimed one of the sailors. "I found Jack trailing behind me, watching as I performed my duties, so I figured I'd let him tag along."

At once he was cut off, scrambling to attention, "Sailors," the commander barked, "Why is one of the children separate from the others?"

The sailor started shakily, "Commander, sir, he's been following me around, and his stories about the island are really interesting." He took a breath, continuing more confidently,"He hasn't been getting in the way of my duties."  
"And you," the commander turned facing Jack. Jack jumped to attention, ready to defend the sailor, when the commander chuckled, "Don't worry, you aren't getting in trouble." He continued, "I'd like to hear some of these stories. You sailors are going to have to wait until this old man has heard them first." They all let out a breath they didn't realize they had been holding, and Jack walked off with the commander, excited that he was the center of attention once again.

* * *

Most of the other boys were crowded in the back corner of the mess hall. Eric remarked, "there goes Jack, taking control of everything again." No one responded of course, since all the littleuns were busy gobbling down the freshly baked bread, spilling their stew all over the pristine tables. "Why did they split us up?" questioned Eric. The few days since the rescue had been the longest he had ever been without Sam. He thought back to the moment they boarded the ship. Sam had been in the first group to use the showers, and he had been in the second. Eric hadn't seen his twin since then, and was lonelier than ever. He rose quickly, shoving his chair in, determined to go find Sam.

Jack struggled to keep pace with the man in the black boots, listening as the commander gestured towards the various parts of the ship. As he listened, he tried to recall where he had heard the commander's voice before. It wasn't from the grunts and screams his father's friends made as the colored chips clinked against the table. It wasn't like the teachers at school yelling that time that Jimmy looked at Archie's test. Suddenly he was transported to the beach, listening as Ralph droned on about the signal fire and rescue.

* * *

"That's it!" he thought, "the commander sounds just Ralph. Ralph's dad is here and that git has no idea."

A grin spread across his face; he could taunt Ralph with this information. The feeling of happiness dissipated as he heard the faint cry of "attack" in the distance. The commander, Ralph's dad, acted as though a switch had been flipped, changing from a casual, conversational tone to the militant personality that allowed him control of the ship.

"Get all of the boys below deck! Sailors Taylor and Cooper, go secure the boys in Compartment 7. We have bombers headed our way!"

With the commander's orders, hundreds of men moved in sync, preparing to defend against the pending attack. The boys chattered, wondering what was going to happen. The sailors told them to sit tight, promising that they would return to the compartment as soon as the attack was over.

* * *

In the meantime, Dr. Ewing was trying to coax Ralph out his quarters. Ralph cowered, not wanting to leave his bed.

"Ralph, I know you don't want to face the others, but you aren't safe up here. A bomb could hit any minute, and you could be hurt, or worse, killed." Perspiration dripped from the doctor creased forehead; he didn't want to be responsible for this kid.

Ralph cleared his throat, and Dr. Ewing swung around to look at him. Ralph started quietly, "Would dying really be that bad?" He paused, and the doctor looked at him expectantly. Continuing more confidently, he said, "Piggy and Simon are dead. Would it be so bad to be like them. They were the only good ones of us and Jack killed them. Why should it matter if I live?" By the end of his tirade, Ralph was yelling and flailing, but the doctor just observed quietly.

When Ralph calmed down, Dr. Ewing glanced up from his clipboard, smiling at Ralph. "Well at least we've got you talking." Ralph furrowed his brow and glared at the man, filled with hatred for the man trying to understand what had happened on the dreaded island. How could scribbling about his actions help bring Piggy and Simon back or punish any of them for what had happened? The bed creaked as he stood, willing, at least to follow the clipboard man so he could ask those questions later. His head was on a constant swivel, crouching as he passed through doors. Ralph was seeing the ship for the first time, and trying to take everything in as they walked towards Compartment 7.

"And here we are," said Dr. Ewing, "Compartment 7, also known as your home for the next few hours."

Ralph wiped his clammy hands on his pants and took a deep breath. Finally he worked up the courage to open the door and enter the room. He surveyed the room, shocked at the difference between the island behavior of the boys and their behavior now. In one corner there was a friendly Monopoly competition, and many of the other boys were sitting in small circles just talking. Dr. Ewing backed up, shutting the door on his way out.

* * *

Once people saw Ralph, silence fell over the room like a blanket, putting a damper on the games.

"Should we play a new game?" suggested Jack. "Little Ralph might enjoy reenacting a pig hunt from the island. He could even be the pig."

Ralph cringed at the idea of this. "Jack, we have to act civilized. There are adults everywhere, we can't distract them from fighting the enemy. Running around like hooligans isn't going to solve anyone's problems."

"That doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun," Jack countered. "And besides, if you scream loud enough your daddy might come running."

"That's quite enough," yelled Samneric in sync. "It's bad enough we aren't back home yet, you can't keep making fun of Ralph." Ralph let out a breath, thankful that someone was defending him.

Jack retaliated, "Who said you two could have an opinion anyways? I'm the most important one here!" He continued, "Oh, and Ralph's daddy really could come save him. I could go find Commander Pearson and tell him that his little Ralphie is scared of the bombs."

Ralph looked as though he had seen a ghost as he sputtered, "How do you know my father?"

Jack smirked and said, "Why, we met on the ship of course. I've been telling him all about the island and our adventures." Jack stepped to close the gap between him and Ralph. "I guess I've forgotten to tell him about you, his precious little boy now haven't I…" he trailed off, trying to gauge how upset Ralph was.

Ralph just stared, silent, as he processed what Jack was saying. Before he had a chance to speak, Samneric and many of the littleuns stepped to form a barrier between the two. Sam started, "You can't continue this fight. What happened on the island must stay on the island."

Eric piped in, "We are almost back home and you guys will not have to see each other again. Can't we just stay civilized until then?"

Ralph's shoulders relaxed and he slumped in his seat. "I'm all for it," he said.

The boys who formed the barrier turned to face Jack. Red-faced, he started "I'm not having it! Why shouldn't we have fun? It was just a little bit of teasing."

Tears began to fall from Ralph's face. "A bit of teasing?" he questioned. "How do you care to explain the deaths of Piggy and Simon then? Was it all a game to you?" Ralph stopped, too overcome with sadness for his dear friend to continue.

Samneric stepped in, saying "He's right Jack, this has gone on for too long. We can try to forget what's behind us, but we can't start anything new. We have to get along until we get home, then most of us will never have to see each other again."

Jack rose to his feet, and with spit flying everywhere shouted, "It wasn't all me! Everyone had a part in Simon's death and Roger was the one that killed Piggy. I've done nothing wrong."

Roger jumped up from where he was standing in the corner, but Eric cut him off before he could escalate the situation. "We've let you two have control long enough Jack. You can't keep manipulating us. We aren't going to listen to you guys anymore." Jack slumped in his seat, searching for Roger, and when their eyes connected, they realized they were done for.

All at once the door clicked open. The boys all jumped to attention, ready to hear the news as a few sailors filed into the room. "Good news boys," they started, "We withstood the attack and have just gotten word that the war is over, they signed a treaty in Paris. We're free to go home!"

The chaos built as some of the boys hugged each other and whooped, happy that they were finally going home. The sailors continued, "Within the next day we should be back at port and there will be transportation back to your homes. Please return to your quarters to gather your things."

The boys scattered, rushing to get ready to see their families. Only Ralph was left in the compartment, scared and utterly alone. All at once he heard the booming voice, and felt the comfort of his fathers arms surround him. As he accepted the hug, Ralph realized that no matter how awful things had been, they were only going to get better from here.


End file.
